Bird On a Limb
by rogueop452
Summary: Someone from the past returns to stir up trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Helena entered the living room feeling bone tired after an exhausting workout in the gym. She flopped down next to Dinah, who sat curled up in the corner of the large comfortable sofa, seemingly engrossed in the book on her lap while idly twirling a strand of hair around one finger. Helena took the opportunity to study the younger girl...

_Dinah sure has come a long way from that first awkward night in the alley...Back when I had to save her sorry ass. _

_Man...What a nerd she was back then.  
_

_And now? _

_Well she's no longer that frightened naive teenager from Opel Missouri that's for sure. She can give as good as she gets now._

Helena paused from her thoughts momentarily while she watched Dinah absently tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and turn a page in her book.

_However...She has managed to retain a certain level of innocence that can be both endearing and dangerous in our line of..._

"You're doing it again," Dinah said without even looking up from her book.

_I'm...doing it again?_ "Doing what?" Helena asked in confusion.

"You're staring at me."

"I wasn't staring at you..."

"Yes you were and it's really annoying."

"Fine, whatever..." Helena replied, not really up to arguing at the moment. Grabbing the remote she turned on the TV. _But she's still a nerd._

As she surfed through the channels, Helena found her mind drifting. She thought of Reese…how his body was so chiseled and looked so hot, even when he was sweaty and naked…

Helena quirked an eyebrow.

_Actually…especially when he's sweaty and naked. _

Helena smiled to herself…

Her relationship with Reese had finally gotten off the ground after months of flirting with each other every time they met.

_Which hasn't always been under the best of circumstances to say the least. _

Helena's smile widened as she remembered how the first time their paths had crossed; Reese had handcuffed her to a statue.

_Not a very pleasant way to start off a relationship…But then…The fact that I had just broken into a potential murder victim's apartment might have had something to do with it._

Helena's smile quickly faded as the image of that same man dangling rather gruesomely from the ceiling flashed into her mind's eye.

_Not a very pleasant way to die either._

Helena shook her head, trying to clear that disturbing memory from her mind. The knowledge that they had finally caught his murderer her only consolation.

_And...To think that Reese had initially thought I was the murderer. _

Helena allowed herself a small sardonic grin.

_Then again...my first impression of Detective Jesse Reese was that he was an arrogant prick._

Helena gave a small chuckle.

_We've come a long way baby.  
_

All the secrecy and mistrust between them that had kept them at odds with each other for so long was gone now. They had left all that behind them and were dating just like any normal couple.

_Well...as normal as possible considering who we are…the crime fighting daughter of a super hero, and a police detective who just happens to be the son of a notorious mob boss...Yep...Just your average every day couple in New Gotham City._

After the third time "I Love Lucy" flashed on the screen, Dinah had had enough. With an exasperated sigh she grabbed the remote out of Helena's hand and turned the TV off.

"Daydreaming much?" she asked sarcastically, albeit a little warily. Anticipating her already regrettable move to be followed by a negative reaction…a very violent negative reaction…one that could possibly involve her ending up with a sore body part or two she tensed slightly and held her breath as she stared at the Huntress, readying herself for any sudden onslaught.

Helena stared back, rather shocked that the younger girl had been so bold as to snatch something from her like that.

_I should really kick her ass for that._

But she was just too tired at the moment. "I'm gonna get a Pop Tart," she simply stated as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

Dinah silently let out her breath and set the remote down on the coffee table. She settled back into the couch with her book in hand, vaguely wondering why Helena had let her off the hook so easily.

_Huntress must really be craving those Pop Tarts._

Dinah smiled. Suddenly thinking that Pop Tarts sounded a whole lot better than homework, she dropped her book and followed Helena into the kitchen. She sat down at the stool, leaning her elbows on the counter. Helena was on her knees rifling through the lower cabinets. "Cute bird. Is it new?"

Helena turned her head. Dinah was staring at her lower back. "You mean the tat? First of all it's not a 'cute bird.' It's a phoenix. Got it last week…hurt like hell."

"Most people get tattoos to represent a person or event in their lives. Does yours, like, mean something? I mean, me personally…I would probably get a…"

"What you'd get," Helena cut in, "is busted big time by Barbara if you even attempted to get one. So don't even think about it."

"I didn't say I was going to get one," Dinah grumbled. "I was just admiring yours."

"Good," Helena said firmly. "Keep it that way. I don't need Barbara blaming me for being a bad influence on you." Ignoring Dinah's roll of her eyes, she continued her search in the cabinets. "Aha," she exclaimed triumphantly pulling out an unopened box of their favorite snack. "Guess I found someone's little hidey hole." She glanced accusingly at Dinah.

"What? Don't look at me. Maybe Alfred keeps them there," Dinah suggested, but her smile and sheepish look gave her away.

"Uh huh…yeah. Right next to his Twinkies." Helena tossed one of the packages to Dinah, then after ripping open the silver foil, deposited her own pastries into the toaster.

"Don't forget plates," Dinah reminded Helena helpfully from her perch on the stool.

Helena deposited one of the plates in front of her.

"Thanks." Dinah smiled sweetly. "Oh, and can you get me a glass of milk?"

"Sure." Helena swung around to get the milk and glass. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked, placing them in front of the younger girl with a slight growl.

Dinah looked up from opening her package. She was going to ask for a napkin but changed her mind quickly after seeing the intimidating look the Huntress was giving her. "No thank you," she said instead, then jumped a little when the toaster went off.

Helena smiled, and reached for her Pop Tarts. _Works every time._

Still smiling, she pulled up a stool and joined Dinah at the counter. "So where's Barbara tonight?"

Dinah cringed inwardly. Reluctant to reveal Barbara's 'date' for the evening, she stalled. "Umm...she went out earlier."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that, Dinah…So who'd she go out with?" Helena asked, though from Dinah's hesitation, she already suspected the answer.

"Dick Grayson," Dinah finally answered, feigning nonchalance. Knowing that Helena and Barbara's old flame had never been on the best of terms, she was more than a little surprised when Helena had no immediate reaction. "So, you're going out with Reese tonight to Flanagan's?" She continued, deciding a quick change of subject was in order.

Helena's hand froze with her Pop Tart half way to her mouth. "How did you know?" she asked suspiciously. "I don't recall mentioning it to you." She frowned. "You didn't do one of your mind meld things on me, did you?"

"No! Of course not!" Dinah exclaimed, remembering how angry Helena had gotten the last time she'd 'spied' on her private thoughts. "It's not so hard to figure out," she continued nervously. "I mean you spend all of your free time with Reese lately and you guys always go to Flanagan's."

The awkward silence that followed was broken by the chiming of the clock on the mantle.

"Damn..." Helena checked the time and pushed up from the counter. "I'm supposed to meet Reese for drinks in twenty minutes." She deposited her dishes in the sink and headed to the elevator. "So what's on the agenda for you tonight?" she asked Dinah after entering the code on the key pad to summon the private elevator. "You can't possibly be planning on doing homework. After all it _is_ the weekend and it's not too often that we get a break from sweeps, let alone a Saturday night. Tell me you're not going to waste it doing the school thing."

Dinah blushed, reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "No…I have plans…," she answered vaguely, as she turned her attention to her unfinished glass of milk.

Helena eyed the younger girl curiously as the elevator doors opened, but Dinah didn't offer any more details. "Well, then have fun kiddo," she said then, raised one eyebrow and lounged against the back elevator wall, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With Helena's last words echoing in her head, Dinah watched the elevator door slide shut. After the lights above counted down its descent to ground level, she waited a full minute before calling the elevator back up again, then after finallizing her decision, she grabbed her backpack and headed down and out of the Clocktower.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jesse Reese checked his watch. She was late again. It never failed. Helena possessed many positive qualities, but punctuality would never make it to her top ten list. That was for damn sure. But still, it was a small price to pay for the satisfaction of her company.

They had been together for well over three months now, and not a day went by that he didn't consider himself the luckiest guy around. She had it all…the whole package and then some. She could be rather moody at times, but considering the life she led it was almost an expected aspect of her personality and he had learned to accept it as part of her nature.

Tonight was a special occasion for them…a Saturday night date…a rare occurrence with both of their busy schedules. As a police detective, his heavy caseload required long hours on the job, especially with all of the follow up work it involved. When Helena had told him she had the entire night free, he had immediately put in his request for time off.

Reese took another swig off his beer and looked around the bar. The room was packed tonight. Flanagan's was a popular hot spot. He had brought Helena here on their first date and it had quickly become one of their preferred hangouts. On Saturdays, the live bands and dancing really drew in the crowds. It would be a change of pace from their usual routine of late. Not that he was complaining. They hadn't had a night out together in a couple of weeks, but there had been plenty of nights in...Memorable nights.

When he noticed several male heads turning toward the entranceway, he knew she had entered the room. The moment he spotted her he felt his heart race. Why did she have that affect on him? Even after three months, there were still times when he felt like a nervous schoolboy around her.

Their eyes met across the room and Helena headed over to join him, weaving through the crowds with ease. "Sorry I'm late." She gave him a brief hug. "Had a little wardrobe malfunction."

Reese eyed her skin tight jeans, taking in the curve of her hips and her ample cleavage, accentuated by her low cut sweater. "Everything looks to be functioning just fine from my perspective," he said as she seated herself across from him at the table.

"Actually," she explained, "with Alfred being away for the past week, I had a bit of trouble finding something clean and date worthy back at my apartment."

"Helena, did it ever occur to you that maybe you should be doing your own laundry?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not exactly the domestic type."

"Well, you can always bring it over to my place," Reese offered. "Maybe I can teach you a few things."

Giving him a sultry look she leaned in closer. "I'm sure there are a lot of things you can teach me Detective."

Reese saw the mischievous twinkle in her eye and chuckled good naturedly. "How about a drink?" he suggested and then signaled the waitress.

"I'll have a glass of red wine," Helena told the waitress when she arrived at their table.

"Do you have a preference?"

"Pinot Noir would be great."

Reese ordered another beer.

"So where exactly is Alfred?" Reese asked after the waitress left to get their drinks. "I thought he never left New Gotham."

"According to Barbara, he's off visiting one of his relatives in England."

"Alfred has relatives?"

Helena smiled at Reese's shocked look. "I know. It surprised me too. Alfred's always been rather secretive about his personal life."

Reese studied her for a moment then gave a half smile. "Alfred's past isn't the only thing shrouded in mystery."

Thinking that he was referring to her father, Helena's smile faded. She shrugged. "It comes with the territory."

Picking up on her sudden pensive look, Reese decided to change the subject. "So...what have you been up to this week? Anything going on with you and Barbara that I need to know about?"

Helena knew he meant work wise, but couldn't resist. "Not with Barbara lately," she teased. "But Dinah? Now that's a whole different story." She gave a little smirk to let him know she was just being a smart ass.

But Reese didn't see the humor in it. "You know what I meant."

Helena was slightly taken aback by his reaction. "It was just a joke Reese."

"Why is everything always such a joke to you?" Reese asked. "Is that how you view our relationship too?"

"No...Of course not..." Helena said in a hurt tone.

Their conversation was interrupted as the waitress brought their drinks to the table. When she left, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them. Helena sipped her wine slowly as she looked around the room.

Reese knew he had overreacted, but he couldn't help himself. When it came to relationships, he was never one to hide his feelings. Helena brought out his possessive side.

But that was no excuse. He decided an apology was in order. "Helena..." She met his eyes and he took a breath, "I'm sorry Helena. I was out of line," he offered.

When at first she didn't respond he thought for a moment he'd blown it, but then she smiled, although it didn't seem to reach her eyes. "No problem Detective."

Suddenly the live band started up and Reese was forced to put any further attempts at apologizing on hold.

In between songs, they made light conversation but Helena still seemed distracted. When after a couple of fast paced numbers the band began to play the first slow mellow song of the night Reese stood up and held out his hand. She looked up at him, a little surprised, but put her hand in his. He led her to the crowded dance floor.

When they reached an open area, he let go of her hand and put his arms around her waist. Helena reached up and draped her arms loosely around his neck. As the song progressed, he pulled her in closer and she laid her head against his shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her cheek through his shirt as they danced to the sensuous beat. When the song ended, he reluctantly pulled away from her, but still held his hands lightly on her hips. He met her eyes and smiled tentatively at her as the dance floor began to clear out around them.

"You about ready to head out to dinner?" he asked when the band announced they were taking a break.

"Actually, I'm a bit tired tonight Reese."

Reese immediately felt disappointed but tried not to let it show. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could grab some take out and continue our date over at your place," Helena said as she traced a button on his shirt with her finger, "and then maybe you can teach me a little about…laundry. I'm sure you're very skilled…in that area." She looked up at him with a teasing smile.

"Oh, I assure you," he replied taking her hand in his, "I'm especially skilled in that area."

They made their way through the crowd and headed out of the bar…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Later that night at Helena's apartment…

_Oh, so horny....Ohh, so horny....Ohh, so horny.  
Me love you long time.  
Oh, so horny....Ohh, so horny....Ohh, so horny.  
Me love you long time._

Helena woke up…momentarily disoriented.

Recognizing her ringtone she grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and flipped it open, ending the song abruptly.

Bringing the phone to her ear, a groggy "Hey" was all she could verbally muster.

"Helena, sorry to wake you, although from the sound of your voice, I'm not quite sure you are."

The Oracles all too familiar voice in her ear quickly brought her to alert mode.

"Barbara…What's up?" Helena reached over and turned on her bedside lamp squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. She glanced over at the clock on the dresser…_1:20am_.

"Dinah's not home yet. She left before I got back tonight and didn't leave a note. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

Helena thought back to their last conversation.

"At the Clocktower earlier, she mentioned something about having plans for the night, but didn't really go into details. Maybe she went to a movie with Gabby," she suggested.

But Barbara, being the overly efficient Oracle, was way ahead of her on that idea.

"I just finished checking the on-line schedule for the local theaters and the last movie let out at midnight, which means she should have been home an hour ago. It's not like her to be out past curfew."

"Did you try her cell phone?" she asked distractedly as she rubbed her temple. Her head was pounding like a jackhammer…the usual repercussion from too much red wine.

"Of course...several times. It went straight to voice mail."

Before Helena could respond, she heard the sound of the alarm for the Delphi Alert System going off in the background.

"Hold on Helena…a Delphi Alert Message is coming in…"

She could hear Barbara typing away at her keyboard, downloading the information.

Helena put the phone on speaker and laid it on her nightstand. She got up out of bed and went over to her dresser. Popping a couple of Advil into her mouth, she searched for some water to wash them down but had to make do with a half empty bottle of beer. She sat on the edge of her bed and waited for Barbara to tell her what was going on. It seemed to be taking forever.

"Don't keep me in suspense. What kind of alert is it?" Helena asked.

"Well, according to the data I just downloaded, the Batcave computer in the Wayne Manor just sent an alert message to our Delphi monitoring system."

"Wait…you said the computer sent the message?"

"Yes, its set up to automatically send an alert here if there's any attempt at unauthorized access or if there's a problem in the mainframe." Barbara explained. "However, I'm not picking up anything from the police scanners, so it doesn't look like the security alarms at the manor have been activated. But that still doesn't rule out the possibility of an intruder. I can't get any more information because the link has been severed and it's gone off-line. With Alfred being away, someone needs to go over to the manor and find out what the situation is."

"Is that your roundabout way of asking me?"

"Well, I could call Dick. He's staying at the Gotham Park Towers. I could go with him…"

Helena wasn't too thrilled with that idea.

"Barbara, come on, no offense, but I can do it a lot faster." Helena reasoned. "And besides, shouldn't you stay there and wait for Dinah to come home?"

"Yes, well that's probably a good idea. And I should contact Alfred in England to let him know what's happening. Are you sure about this Helena?" Barbara sounded concerned.

"I'll call you on the comms when I get there. And Barbara, don't worry, Dinah will come home soon." She closed the phone over, effectively cutting off any further discussion on her hasty decision.

Leaning forward, Helena rested her elbows on her knees, cupping her face in her hands. Right then, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under her sheets and sleep until noon.

But Barbara needed her…

She dressed quickly grabbed her comms and headed out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Helena tapped her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently.

"What are you waiting for? A written invitation?" She leaned on her horn. "Geeze, it's green already!"

"Huntress…do you copy?" She heard the Oracles voice speaking rather low in her ear.

"It's about time asshole!" Helena spat out as the car in front of her slowly made its way through the intersection.

"Huntress...?"

"Yes Oracle, I copy," Helena added quickly while speeding up to pass the errant driver. After adjusting the volume level in her comm set, she resisted the urge to return the middle finger salute directed at her in her rear view mirror. "Yeah well same to you buddy," she muttered under her breath.

"What's your ETA?"

"I'm en route now. I'll be code eleven soon," Helena answered using the police jargon she'd picked up from Reese.

"Code eleven?" Barbara questioned.

"Just trying to lighten the situation."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that Alfred left the spare remote for the front gate to the Manor in the glove compartment. Contact me on the comms when you get there."

"Affirmative…Stand by."

"Huntress…," Barbara said in a mildly reproving tone, but Helena could hear a slight chuckle in her voice.

"Is the Junior Superhero back yet?"

"No, she's not and I still can't get through to her on her cell."

"Well, if she's not back when I finish up at the Manor, I'll check out the local hangouts," Helena volunteered hoping to ease the Oracles worries.

"Thanks Huntress."

A few minutes later, Helena arrived at the gated entrance.

She aimed the remote and instantly heard the faint hum of the motor as the heavy iron gates slid back in their tracks. When they came to a stop, she drove through and headed up the long winding road. Finally, after passing the last bend she could fully view the mansion ahead.

"Oracle, there are quite a few lights on at the house."

"Probably just the security lights," Barbara speculated. "They're programmed to come on automatically at nightfall."

"Must be one heck of an electrical bill."

"Actually, the electrical system runs off of solar panels. They were added after the earthquake destroyed part of the structure."

"So, the old man's an environmentalist. Well isn't that a fun fact to know," Helena said sarcastically.

"It was originally Alfred's idea, but yes, despite being a major corporate businessman, Bruce is very concerned with the environment."

Helena sensed the hurt tone in Barbara's voice. She always defended Bruce. In her eyes he was still "Gotham's Greatest Champion," despite what Helena thought of him. But now was not the time to dwell on the past.

"Okay, I'm coming up to the house."

Helena parked the Hummer on the drive and, while scanning the perimeter for activity, cautiously made her way to the stone steps leading to the main entrance in the center of the mansion.

As she advanced up the flight of steps, she couldn't help from admiring the beautiful Gothic architectural details of the structure. She'd seen the mansion pictured in different newspaper and magazine articles before, but despite the fact that it was only being illuminated by the outdoor lighting system, it was much more impressive in person. But still, she could never imagine living in something so formal and imposing despite Alfred's insistence over the years.

"How does Alfred manage this place all by himself?"

"Well, there's a landscaping crew to maintain the grounds of course," Barbara explained, "but it does tend to keep him rather occupied."

When the pathway came to an end, Helena stood in front of the large highly detailed wooden doors. She located the key pad.

"I'm at the front entrance way. There doesn't seem to be any sign of forced entry here. I'll need the security access code."

"Hold on just one second. Alfred logged the code into the data base just before he left for England." Helena could hear the clicking of the keyboard. "The access code is 6-9-0-0-6-9"

Helena's hand came to a stop in midair over the key pad. "You're joking…right?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No…no problem." She smirked as she punched in the numbers.

Helena heard the lock release. She opened the door and stepped through the threshold of her father's house.

"Huntress, to access the Batcave, you need to head to the main study…"

"Hold on. Let me get my bearings here." Helena surveyed the foyer. She walked lightly across the floor, stopping in the center to view the layout. The two identical white marble staircases leading to the upper levels, framed a set of glass doors in the center that lead to the ballroom. A sudden memory of her mother returning home rather upset from one of Bruce Wayne's party's flashed in her head. Helena mentally shook herself. She needed to stay focused.

"Okay, which way to the study?"

"Go through the great hall in front of you and turn left. Take the hallway to the left. The door to the study will be on your right, next to the large portrait of your...well just take the door next to the large portrait."

Helena opened one of the glass plated doors and walked briskly through the large elegant ballroom briefly glancing at the opulent gold and crystal filled surroundings. She continued on to the study. As she passed by the portrait on the wall, she took a moment to read the inscription on the gold plate …"Thomas Wayne, Founding Father." She studied his face. She was slightly taken back at the resemblance. Without the mustache…No she wouldn't go there…

She quickly opened the door and stepped inside the study. Making her way to the center of the room she noted the typical masculine bachelor décor, complete with wall to wall bookcases and leather furniture done in browns and golds and reds. She could almost smell the aroma of expensive cigars lingering in the air.

"Oracle, I'm in the study now. How do I access the Batcave?"

"There are a few choices from this point. You can use the grandfather clock, which when set on 10:47 opens the paneling to a stairway…or by playing a sequence of keys on the piano, which opens up an elevator shaft… or you can lift the bronze bust, which will open the doors to the poles…"

"Wait a minute…a shaft, bronze bust and poles?" Helena chuckled. "Sounds pretty kinky."

"Yes, Huntress it's a bust of William Shakespeare...And the poles are used to slide down to the Batcave. Get your mind out of the gutter."

Helena considered her options. She didn't play the piano, and she wasn't much in the mood for sliding down a pole into a dark cavern.

She headed to the far corner of the room and stood in front of the grandfather clock. 10:47…She wondered about the significance of that time. Did it represent some event in her fathers past? She opened the glass door and set the hands in place and immediately heard a metallic click followed by a creaking noise. A section of the wall paneling to the right of the clock swung open, revealing an open area about the size of a small walk in closet. She stepped into it and quickly located the stairway leading down. She began her descent to the Batcave.

"Oracle, I used the clock entrance and I'm heading down the stairs. It's pretty dark down here. Not to mention creepy." Her eyes quickly shifted to cat mode.

"Be careful Huntress. Try not to disturb the bats."

"Great. And I thought it couldn't get any creepier."

"Well it is a "bat cave" after all," Barbara reasoned. "You have to expect bats."

"Exactly how many are we talking here…a few hundred?"

"More like a few thousand. Maybe even tens of thousands."

"Wonderful…"

Helena continued her descent down the winding metal stairway to the first floor landing where the stairs leveled off. It appeared to be some kind of storage area. There were three metal doors with clear glass oval cutaways set into the cavern walls. She stepped closer to peer through the glass of the first storage room. She flinched a bit when she recognized what was inside...the black sculpted body armor, bat shaped head gear and boots worn by Bruce Wayne all laid out in neat itemized rows.

Helena quickly moved on to the next room…more body armor, only slightly smaller in size. These too were all black. The last room housed what looked to be a vast array of arsenal including batarangs, utility belts and other specialized gadgets.

She continued on to the next set of stairs that led to the bottom level. On this level there were several smaller computer consoles surrounding the room, with one large computer mainframe in the center of it all. The cavern itself was massive.

"Oracle, I'm in the lower cavern. Just how big is this place?"

"Well besides the main computer area, there are also a series of subterranean caves that contain various specialized facilities such as a crime lab, gymnasium, a hangar area for the Batmobile and other vehicles…"

"Vehicles? As in plural? How come we only have the Hummer?"

"Because you're the weapon."

"Right…Okay, so there's no way I could check every nook and cranny down here to find one bad guy. That is assuming there is one. Well then let's go to plan B."

"Plan B? What's Plan B?" Barbara asked with a slight note of trepidation in her voice.

"We try to draw them out."

"And how do you…."

"WE HAVE THE PLACE SURROUNDED, SO COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" Helena yelled at the top of her lungs. But besides disturbing quite a few bats up in the cavern ceiling, and the rebounding echo, there was no response.

"Well that wasn't very stealthy," Barbara commented dryly, once everything quieted down.

"Thought I'd give it a shot."

"Well next time, give me a warning. I would have turned the comm volume down. I think I just went partially deaf."

"Fine. I'm going to check out what may have caused the system to go off-line."

Helena headed back to the computer area. All seven of the surrounding terminals were lit, but the mainframe computer didn't seem to have any power going to it.

"Oracle, it looks like the main computer is shut down."

"You'll need to check the circuit breaker. It should be located…"

"I'm already on it." Helena followed the thick cables behind the large mainframe, which eventually led to the breaker box on the wall near the stairs. She opened up the metal panel, located the correct switch and flipped it on. Immediately the hum of the modem could be heard as the large system powered up. "Okay, powers back on. Seems to be booting up with no problems."

"Huntress, I'm getting the system back on-line now."

"Is that it then? All this for one flick of a switch? It's so anticlimactic. So, what, are you thinking maybe a power surge tripped the breaker?"

"Well that typically means the modem would be fried or at least the power supply. It could be that the processor overheated. Possibly a clogged fan…"

"Maybe one of those creepy bats got inside," Helena interrupted.

"Or…we can't rule out human tampering, which again would indicate an intruder," Barbara pointed out.

"But why would someone go to the trouble to break in, just to disable the computer?"

"Good question. Everything seems to be running fine now though. I'll have Alfred run a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation when he returns."

"Anything else you need me to check before I head out then?"

"No. Just stay alert. If someone did break in, they could still be in the vicinity," Barbara cautioned.

"Copy that. Huntress out."

She headed towards the stairway.

Suddenly she heard a loud sharp cracking sound.

And then her whole world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As Helena's limp body fell to the cold hard ground, the dark clad figure smiled smugly with satisfaction. "How's that for a climactic conclusion?"

With adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he tossed aside the large club shaped piece of stalagmite and crouched down next to the Huntress. Scooping her up in his massive arms, he carried her effortlessly over to a nearby chair. Quickly reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out several short lengths of rope and after placing her forearms on the rests, bound them securely in place.

"I won't be careless this time," he said and then wrapped the last length of rope around her ankles, fastening them tightly together. When he was finished, he took a moment to brush a strand of blood soaked hair back from her temple as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Yes, Huntress, rest for now if you must." He stood up and pulled out his knife, releasing the blade. "But in the end we both know...love must die."

Suddenly the whiz of a batarang could be heard as it flew through the air towards its target, and before he could react, the knife was knocked from his hand. The loud clatter as it landed on the floor and slid under the computer mainframe out of reach echoed throughout the cavern.

"That's really a lame catchphrase Crawler," Dinah said from the landing above as she readied herself to throw another batarang. "Make any sudden moves towards Huntress and you won't like where the next one ends up."

Surprised but undaunted, Crawler spun around and quickly scanned the upper stairway. "Ahh…the annoying little Junior Super Hero," he said, his cold eyes narrowing with recognition. "I was hoping you would show. Maybe not so soon, but I can work with that..." and with that, he sprinted across the room to the stairs, leaping over the railing and swiftly raced up the steps towards Dinah.

As he drew nearer, Dinah threw the second batarang. It whizzed by his head, nicking him lightly on the left cheek.

Crawler froze in his tracks then turned to view the batarang as it ricocheted off the wall next to him, struck a nearby stalactite and then fell ineffectually to the ground below.

He wiped his hand across the wound on his face and glanced down at the blood on his large calloused fingers before turning his gaze towards Dinah once again. "Is that all you've got little girl?" he asked with a sneer. He continued his advance up the remaining steps.

As he drew nearer, Dinah took a fighting stance and when he was close enough to strike, she managed to surprise him with a quick fist to his jaw and another to his stomach. As he bent over from the punch in his gut she followed with a knee to his face.

"Well there's always that," she said with a smirk as he noisily tumbled down the steep stairway, the momentum of his fall carrying him back down to the floor below.

But Dinah knew from dealing with him in the past that wouldn't stop him for long. His meta abilities were almost equal to Huntress'. _And besides that...He's a big ass mother...I'll never beat him in a blow to blow fight. _

_I'll have to be ready._

Dinah quickly centered her thoughts. Concentrating on the energy within her, she generated a powerful telepathic force.

When Crawler finally rose with a growl of annoyance, Dinah directed her mental blast and with a wave of her hand projected it at him.

When the blast hit him, he grunted in surprise as the impact threw him up in the air and across the room where he violently collided with the cavern wall, his battered body dropping with a heavy thud behind a large rock formation.

Though Dinah was somewhat drained, she quickly made her way down the stairs, mentally preparing herself to deal another blow. But when she reached the spot where he had fallen, he was nowhere to be found.

-----------------------------

"Huntress…" Dinah said shaking her arm lightly.

Helena felt like she was floating in a black void, her thoughts were scattered and unfocused. She began to hear voices but they were muffled…as if they were coming from inside a small tin can.

"Huntress can you hear me?" the Oracles voice said in her ear. She felt someone squeeze her hand. She tried to open her eyes.

"Oracle, I think she's starting to come around," Dinah said.

"Whatha fu…?" Helena mumbled groggily.

"I couldn't quite make that out. Did you understand her?" Barbara asked through the comms.

"Yes…but I don't think I should repeat it," Dinah responded.

"Well I suppose that's a good sign."

When Helena finally managed to open her eyes she saw Dinah kneeling in front of her holding a towel to her temple with a concerned look on her face. Her head was pounding. She heard the Oracles worried voice in her ear.

"Dinah, how is she doing? Is she fully conscious yet?"

"She's getting there. Her wound looks pretty deep. It's probably going to need a few stitches or at least one of those butterfly things."

"There are some medical supplies in the cabinet over near the stairs. Keep a watch out for Darkstrike. Although I have a feeling he's long gone by now."

"Darkstrike?" Helena asked in confusion.

"Huntress, how are you feeling?" Barbara asked.

"Nothing I haven't felt before. But would someone mind telling me what the hell just happened? The last thing I remember is flipping the breaker for the mainframe. Everything's a little sketchy after that."

"You probably have a concussion and possibly some traumatic amnesia. Dinah why don't you fill her in."

"Darkstrike signaled the Delphi to lure you here. He knocked you unconscious," Dinah explained after returning with the medical supplies. She pulled another chair over to sit in front of Helena. "I'm pretty sure he didn't have good intentions. I managed to stop him. But he got away."

"You mean Crawler," Helena corrected. "Darkstrike would never hurt me. Damn this is the second time that bastard managed to knock me out."

"Either way… we're talking about the same person," Barbara reminded her. "He has the ability to morph into either form, but they're a package deal."

"I thought Crawler left town after Harley Quinn had him released from the Arkham Asylum," Helena said and then winced when Dinah dabbed at her wound with the antiseptic.

"One would assume that would be the logical plan," Barbara replied. "Perhaps he came back for revenge…who knows…I'm sure he has his reasons. The one thing I do know about psychopaths is that they never give up. He'll be back…sooner or later."

"Well, hopefully it will be later," Dinah said while applying the butterfly bandage to Helena's head wound. "I could use some serious downtime after all this excitement. This was supposed to be our day off."

"Oh you'll be getting plenty of "downtime" over the next week," Barbara replied.

"Wait a minute," Helena said. "Dinah how did you know to show up here when you did?"

"I had a series of premonitions. I saw you going on your date with Reese and then coming here to the Wayne Manor. And in the Batcave, I saw Crawler attack you. They were all so vivid...so real. When I saw the vision of Crawler attacking you, I wanted to tell you...to warn you. But..." Dinah looked down, and frowned.

"Well why didn't you?" Helena asked.

"I didn't know if you'd believe me. I even doubted myself that it was going to happen. These…premonitions…I don't have them that often. I wasn't sure what the outcome would be if I tried to...alter them in any way."

"Well I'm just glad you showed up when you did," Helena told the younger girl. "You did good Kid."

"Yes you did well Dinah," Barbara agreed. "But you're still grounded."

"You know Barbara, if I'm going to keep getting grounded for saving Huntress's life, I may think twice about it next time," Dinah teased.

"I'll take that into consideration," Barbara said with a chuckle, "but hopefully there won't be a next time."

"Come on kid," Helena said rising from her chair. "Let's head home. I don't know about you but this place gives me the creeps."

The next evening at the Clocktower…

Dinah finished typing on her laptop and hit the "enter" button. The Instant Message sound echoed across the Clocktower. A few seconds later the incoming message sound chimed. Dinah read the text and smiled. She typed a reply and sent her response across the internet. Once again, the annoying outgoing sound could be heard.

Barbara leaned back in her chair in front of the computer and removed her glasses. She glanced over at Dinah at the kitchen table. She had been on her laptop "talking" to her friends most of the afternoon. She was growing a bit tired of hearing that annoying sound.

She replaced her glasses and brought up the Instant Message screen on her computer. She began typing on her keyboard.

The incoming sound chimed once again on Dinah's laptop. Dinah read the message. She turned to look at Barbara.

"You wouldn't…"

"Oh, I most assuredly would," she told the young girl in a serious tone, and then chuckled lightly when Dinah quickly clicked on the "sign out" icon, and closed her laptop over.

Helena entered the room dressed in her usual attire for going out on sweeps.

"So what's the haps with dinner? I'm starved." She headed into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and peered inside. "Damn. There's never anything decent in here lately."

"And probably won't be until Alfred comes back. None of us are exactly culinary masters," Dinah pointed out.

"Speak for yourself," Helena told the younger girl as she grabbed a soda and closed the refrigerator door. "I'm at least a culinary apprentice."

"Yeah…you can burn food with the best of them," Dinah scoffed.

"There's some leftover pizza in the blue Tupperware," Barbara interjected before things got out of hand between the two.

"Any news on Darkstrike?" Helena asked Barbara.

"I've been checking the police scanners for reports of abductions in the surrounding area that would match his M.O. But so far nothing's turned up."

"Do you think he was the one that betrayed our identity to Harley?" Dinah asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Crawler struck some sort of deal with her in exchange for his release," Barbara said. "What's more surprising is that she went through with her side of the bargain. Ruthless bitch that she is."

Helena glanced over at Barbara. Harley Quinn was still a touchy subject with her. She decided to change the topic. "By the way, Dinah," she said as she deposited her pizza in the microwave. "I've been meaning to ask you...just how detailed was this dream of yours. I mean you didn't see Reese and I…"

Dinah gave an innocent look. "See you what?"

"Never mind. It's not important. But thanks…you know…for being there for me."

"You know you could show your appreciation by doing my laundry. With Alfred being away, it's really starting to pile up."

"That's not really one of my skills." Helena laughed.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Dinah questioned with a knowing smile. "Because Reese might say otherwise..."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After interviewing the last witness, Reese closed his notebook over and slid it into the inside pocket of his jacket. He left the restaurant in a rush, and headed to his car, planning on a quick trip to headquarters to file his report and wrap things up for the night. It was already well past midnight and he had been through a long and mentally grueling day involving the usual murder and mayhem in New Gotham City, although work lately had consisted more of interviews and paperwork than murder.

Lost in thought about the string of restaurant burglaries that had been occurring over the last few weeks, Reese suddenly heard a whooshing noise behind him. He spun around, instinctively reaching for his holster.

Helena stood in front of him in a casual stance, her hands tucked deep inside the pockets of her leather trenchcoat and sporting the same mischievous smile that could both soothe and exasperate him at times.

"Never startle a man with a loaded gun," he advised her, resisting the urge to smile back. He didn't want to encourage her habit of suddenly appearing out of nowhere and nearly giving him a heart attack.

Helena quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "That sounds a lot like a Chinese proverb. Maybe you should consider writing for the fortune cookie business."

Reese grasped her elbow lightly and steered her toward his car. "If you're going to keep making entrances like that you really need to come up with some kind of warning signal."

"I could," she replied in a teasing manner, "but then it wouldn't be as much fun." When her remark was met with silence, she cast a sidelong glance at Reese as they made their way through the parking lot.

They reached his car and he turned to face her. "Barbara called earlier. She told me about your encounter with Crawler the other night." He studied her for a reaction. "Seems like that would have at least warranted a phone call from you."

Helena detected a tinge of hurt in his voice. "Is that why you're acting all grouchy?" she asked. "Cause I thought we were passed that stage."

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Reese glanced at the almost healed scar near her temple. Helena's ability to recover quickly from injury never ceased to amaze him despite witnessing it first hand on many occasions...more times than he cared to remember.

Helena caught his look. "Gotta love those fast meta healing abilities."

"I put an APB out," Reese said sounding more abrupt than he intended. "If anything comes up matching Crawlers or Darkstrikes description, I'll be notified."

Helena nodded. "Look, I wanted to call you, but I didn't feel comfortable talking about it over the phone. I mean the whole thing...I don't know, it's just...complicated."

Reese gazed into her eyes for a few moments. "Things with you are never simple," he said realizing he could never stay angry with her for long.

Helena chuckled lightly. "Now where have I heard that before?"

Reese gave her a sheepish look. His rigid 'by the book' routine had been the subject of many late night discussions between them until he had learned to adjust to Helena's unconventional yet successful methods of crime fighting. "I guess I was kind of a jerk back then," he admitted.

"You had your moments," Helena said with a teasing smile.

Reese returned her smile and checked his watch. "I have to head down to the station and write up a report, but then I'm free the rest of the night. Why don't you meet me over at my place in about an hour...You can fill me in on the details from the other night."

"Okay," Helena replied. "But it won't take all night. What'll we do for the rest of the time?"

"Oh I can think of a few things," Reese said with a grin.

--

Later that night at Reese's apartment...

"So, let me get this straight," Reese said as he poured Helena her second glass of wine. "Not only is Dinah a touch-telepath and telekinetic, but she also has premonitions?" He handed Helena her glass and then picked up his own, before settling back into the sofa next to her. "Is that common, for a metahuman to have more than one super power?"

"It's been known to happen," Helena replied. "I mean look at Darkstrike. He has powers similar to mine plus the ability to morph. Although Barbara hasn't quite figured out how he acquired that yet."

"What do you mean? I thought all metahumans were born with their 'special powers'."

"That's true in most cases. But with Darkstrike, Barbara wasn't so sure. She hasn't been able to determine if his shape-shifting properties are a feature of his own metahuman abilities or something else entirely."

Reese frowned. "Great...I'm just getting used to this whole 'metahuman' thing. Don't tell me there's something else out there."

"Don't worry," Helena reassured him. "In my opinion, it's strictly a meta thing. Metagenes can lay dormant for years before something triggers them...like with Dinah's telekinesis."

"So there's a possibility that you could..." he trailed off suggestively.

"Suddenly start to sprout wings and fly?" she finished with a smile. "I don't think so."

Reese eyed her with amusement over the rim of his wine glass.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"I was just picturing you with wings."

"And that's funny because..."

"You're hardly the angelic type."

Helena quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if I should be offended, but you're probably right. In my case, they'd more likely be bat wings."

Reese smiled. "Speaking of bats," he said. "Was the other night really your first visit to the Wayne Manor?"

Helena studied the contents of her wine glass for a moment before answering. "Actually, it was, and it wasn't as earth shattering as I thought it would be. Well except for the part where I was knocked unconscious by a murdering psychopath," she added and then took another sip of her wine.

Reese's jaw tensed. "I'll feel a lot better when that lunatic is safely behind bars again."

"Well if he does decide to show up, I'll be ready for him next time."

Reese searched her eyes. "Just be careful Helena."

"You know me," she said with a shrug, "I'm always careful."

Reese thought about how close Helena had come a second time to becoming another one of Crawler's victims. She hadn't been careful. She had let her guard down. Something that could prove to be fatal in their line of work. But reminding her of that would only make her defensive. He was still learning to juggle the fine balance of showing how much he cared for her without appearing too overprotective. He decided to change the subject.

"So," Reese said with a grin, "about this premonition of Dinah's...just how much did she see concerning our last date?"

"That's exactly what I asked her. I haven't been able to get a straight answer out of her yet. I may have to resort to violence."

"Don't be too hard on her. She did come through for you the other night."

Helena snorted. "Considering how many times I've had to save her ass, I think we're more than even."

"From what I've seen Dinah's come a long way. She's been a real asset to your team."

Helena nodded. "Barbara's done a great job with her."

"She accomplished it with more than just Barbara's help. Give yourself a little credit Helena."

"Well she's a quick learner. She's become quite the formidable opponent. But don't tell her I said that. She's already cockier than I ever was at that age."

Reese grinned. "For some reason, I find that hard to believe."

Helena reached over and put her wine glass down on the coffee table. "You know Reese you're pretty quick with the insults tonight. If I was the sensitive type I might let that bother me."

"I didn't mean..."

"That's enough talk for now Detective," she interrupted. Taking his wine glass from him, she set it down next to hers. "In fact, what I have in mind doesn't involve talking at all." Tucking her legs up under her, she scooted closer to Reese and slowly began to unbutton his shirt.

After the third button, he reached up and held her hand in place. "Just in case Dinah has another one of her 'premonitions' shouldn't we turn the lights out first?" he teased.

Helena smirked and then continued to unbutton his shirt. "I never let a little case of voyeurism get in my way."

Reese cocked his head to one side. "I'd ask you to explain that remark. But I'm not so sure I'd like the answer."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy Reese?"

"Maybe a little. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No...As long as it doesn't put a damper on what I have planned for you tonight." Opening up his shirt Helena ran her hands lightly across his chest.

"And what exactly _do_ you have planned Helena?" Reese asked as he pulled her gently down on top of him.

Looking deeply into his eyes, Helena grinned. "You know Reese, on second thought, maybe we'd better turn off the lights. I wouldn't want to be responsible for traumatizing the kid."

Reese raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"Don't worry," she purred, azure eyes twinkling. "It won't be anything you can't handle...I promise."

Pulling her in closer Reese met her lips with his own, then reaching up behind him, he clicked off the light.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dinah sat slumped forward at her desk as she listened to the incessant monotonic voice of Mr. Lector. _Was it just her or was he putting the whole class to sleep?_

She glanced around the room. From her seat in the back of the class she could see quite a few of her classmates with their heads bent studiously taking notes, although Dinah would bet her favorite leather jacket that the 'notes' they were writing had more to do with telling their friends how totally bored they were at the moment than civil rights and public policy. Only a handful of students seemed to actually be raptly paying attention to the lecture, one of which was Matt Kendall. But upon further inspection, Dinah was pretty sure from the way his foot was tapping that he was secretly listening to his Ipod. As usual, Mr. Lector was oblivious to it all.

As he droned on and on Dinah caught herself almost nodding off and quickly shifted in her seat. But it didn't take long before her eyes began to feel heavy once again. _If she could only close them for a minute or two...  
_

Leaning her elbow on her desk she moved her hand up to her forehead. Shielding her face from Mr. Lectors view, she relaxed and closed her eyes. What seemed like only mere moments later a vision of some sort flashed in her head…

_A young girl was standing alone in the dark of night on the middle of a dirt pathway. The wind kicked up, rustling the leaves on the trees looming up from the shadows on either side of her. The girl shuddered and wrapped her jacket around her closer. When she heard the sharp sound of a twig snapping she swung around. "Mark is that you?" she asked peering into the darkened woods. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not funny!" she continued when her question was met with silence. The moonlight filtering through the clouds illuminated her face momentarily and her eyes suddenly widened in terror. She took a few steps backwards, before letting out a blood curdling scream…_

The bell rang and Dinah snapped to attention. Straightening in her seat she looked up to see Mr. Lector standing in front of her row handing out a stack of papers as her classmates around her packed up their books. Dinah tried to gather her thoughts while she listened to his last minute instructions.

"I expect these worksheets to be handed in no later than Tuesday," he told the class, causing a collective sigh to ring out across the room. "They cover chapters four and five of your textbook. Don't forget to use your internet resources people."

"Earth to Dinah…"

"What? Oh thanks," Dinah said absently as Gabby handed her the worksheets from her seat in front of her.

"What's the matter?" Gabby asked, taking in Dinah's pensive expression. "You look like your cat just hacked a hairball on your favorite pair of jeans."

Still feeling a little out of sorts, Dinah quickly painted on a smile. "Just a little bummed about the homework. That's all."

Gabby nodded. "Me too. Homework sucks." She leaned in before continuing. "It's bad enough we have to sit through his boring lectures. I almost fell asleep."

Dinah rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it…"

"Yeah…well…don't worry Dinah. You weren't snoring _too _loudly."

"What?" Giving Gabby her full attention now Dinah's eyes widened in alarm. But when she saw what she thought to be Gabby's teasing smile she breathed a sigh of relief and playfully swatted at her friends arm.

"Oh and before you head out," Gabby added as she stood up, backpack in hand. "You might want to wipe that bit of drool off your chin."

"Yeah…right. Very funny," Dinah replied sarcastically to Gabby's retreating form, however, after tucking away her books and papers, just to be on the safe side, she reached up and wiped at her chin, before slinging her backpack over her shoulder. As she was walking up the aisle she glanced across the room at Matt. He pulled out his earphone and winked at her.

_Oh my God, please tell me Gabby was just joking._

Suddenly mortified at the thought that she really_ had_ been snoring in the middle of class, she made the mistake of making eye contact with Mr. Lector as she passed by his desk.

He lowered his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "Hopefully tomorrows lecture will manage to hold your interest Miss Redmond," he remarked dryly.

Dinah blushed and gave him a guilty smile before ducking her head and quickly exiting the classroom.

Gabby was waiting for her in the hallway outside the door. She grabbed Dinah's arm. "Oh my God…I can't believe Mr. Lector said that to you."

"I know," Dinah grumbled as they walked together down the busy hallway. "Why did he pick on me? I mean, I was at least trying to pay attention…Well for the most part anyway," she added with a half grin.

Gabby smiled and shook her head at Dinah as they headed to their lockers.

"Hey are you going to the game tonight?" Gabby asked after putting her books away.

"Mmm…I don't think so..." Dinah answered automatically.

"Come on Dinah. It'll be fun."

Dinah shut her locker and crinkled her nose."Watching a group of sweaty adolescent jocks in spandex toss each other around for two and a half hours isn't exactly my idea of fun. Besides," she added, looking forward to the possibility of going out on sweeps with Helena. "I might have something planned already."

"You always have something planned. What is it this time? Homework or helping Ms. Gordon with her on-line bakery company?"

"Umm…the baking thing." Dinah replied quickly and without remorse. She had long ago resigned herself to the fact that lying to her friends was just another one of the many drawbacks of being a superhero.

"I guess her business is booming huh. I never would have thought there'd be that much demand for muffin tops."

"Well...they_ are_ the best part of the muffin," she replied, making a mental note to work on coming up with a more plausible excuse in the future.

Gabby shook her head. "God Dinah, you're such a geek sometimes." She smiled at Dinah to let her know she was just teasing. "You know," she continued, "if you need an extra hand, I might be willing to forfeit going to the game…"

Dinah cut her off. "Helena probably won't be there Gabby."

"Oh?" Gabby replied nonchalantly. "What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?"

Dinah smirked. "You don't have to pretend with me Gabby. I know you have a crush on her…"

"I do not…" Gabby protested.

Dinah snorted. "Come on Gabby. I've seen you drooling over her. Heck, even _I _have a crush on her and I'm not even gay. Not that being gay is a bad thing," she added quickly.

"All right, I admit it…I _may_ think she's hot, but that doesn't mean…" Gabby rolled her eyes when Dinah quirked an eyebrow at her. "Whatever…" she said dismissively.

"So…" Dinah said, tactfully letting the subject drop. "Are you going to the cafeteria?"

"Actually I thought I'd head out for lunch today. I'm not much in the mood for cafeteria food."

Dinah crinkled her nose. "Yeah…me neither."

"So are you coming with?" Gabby asked.

"I'm not sure. I may need to…" Dinah looked down the hallway towards Barbara's classroom, vaguely wondering if she should use her lunch period to talk to her mentor about her vision. If it even _was _a vision. She wasn't quite sure. "Or maybe not…" she said out loud, beginning to suspect that what she'd experienced was simply a product of an overactive imagination. If that was the case, it wouldn't be wise to admit that she had been sleeping during class. Especially since she'd just recently been 'ungrounded' by Barbara for good behavior.

Sensing her hesitancy, Gabby grabbed Dinah's arm, steering her towards the exit. "Well whatever it is that you may or may not need to do can wait. Right now what we _both_ need is a caffeine fix. You don't want to fall asleep during Ms. Gordon's class, do you?"

Dinah cringed inwardly at the mere thought of such a notion. "Don't even say that. I'd _never_ hear the end of it."

Gabby smiled. "So what'll it be Java or Red Bull?"

Unable to resist her friend, Dinah chuckled. "Considering what we just went through I'd have to say…both."

"Your wish is my command."

"Really? Well in that case. How about a date with Matt Kendall?"

Gabby looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sorry…Wishes…I can grant. But _that_ would be more along the line of a miracle...Ouch!" she said when Dinah reached over and slugged her arm non too gently.

"Remind me why we're friends again?"

Gabby batted her eyelashes. "Because of my sparkling personality?" she offered.

Dinah smiled and shook her head in resignation as they headed out the doorway.


End file.
